[RedVee8]

I had an Phantom (Black) Omega as a courtesy car while the Captiva was in for a repair, basically a 4 day, 400 odd km, test drive.

The Omega is the base model VE Commodore and comes with the dreaded 180kw HFV6 & 4 speed auto combination. Dreaded because every review you read marks this as a negative point.

For the first 15 or so minutes I loathed this car. I just didn't feel comfortable. The interior with its non-Climate control air con just seemed cheap. The steeing wheel seemed hard and oddly shaped. I felt that the cabin was set too low to the ground. The back seemed to be trailing too far behind the front and I caught the rear wheel on a curb coming out of the servo. Then I turned off Parramatta Rd and onto Birnie Ave towards Lidcombe station. Oh ok, it steered around that almost 90deg curve nicely, heres another - nice.
I little further up the road & I started to work out the steering wheel controls. A little further along and "mmm, this thing rides pretty well" I thought to myself.

I found the smoothness & comfort of the ride and handling to be very nice. The performance to be more than adequate. The fuel economy fine, better than my Captiva over the same commute. The interior is comfortable though the look of the base dash is a little cheap. Heaps of room. The car is quiet too. The only annoyance I had was that I seemed to pull the gear lever back into third rather than drive when starting off - it was just a little hard to judge. And the kill switch Suttons installed, forgot it just about everytime!

I give the thing back today and hop in the Captiva. Gee, I'm up too high! Ohh, feel that bump! Yikes, that throttle is sensitive....

Conclusion.
A very 'nice' car that handled my commute very well. I can see why this would be a popular car with those that just auto-buy the next model Commodore as they come out. My worry is for those that test drive it against competitive models as it seems to be let down in the test drive stakes. A drive around the block does not give the real virtues of the Commodore Omega a chance to shine through.
I can certainly imagine picking up a Commodore next time around, although I hope to be shopping a little further up the tree.
Lets see, Calais - check, leather - check, sunroof - check, climate - check, Sportswagon - mm mm mmaybe.

To paraphrase the VN adverts "I'll love it".
What a nice car.